NSW’s demand for heat breaks records

17 July: Melbourne records coldest day in nine years; NSW hunger for heat on 16 July drives consumption on national grid to record 33,027 megawatts

Melbourne on 17 July recorded its coldest day in nine years. The temperature hovered around 6 degrees for most of the afternoon, dipping to 5.4 degrees at 6pm, reported The Age (18/7/2007, p.3). The top was 9.2 degrees at 9.48am, well below the July average top of 13.7 degrees.

Coldest Sydney night in 21 years: In Sydney, meanwhile, residents on Monday shivered through the city’s coldest night in 21 years.

NSW record peaks: NSW was using 13,825 megawatts of electricity to keep warm, surpassing even summer’s demand peak, and easily breaking the two previous records set on 27 June and 20 June.

National grid record-breaker: NSW’s hunger for heat on 16 July drove consumption on the national grid to a record 33,027 megawatts, smashing the previous peak of 32,579 megawatts, set on 20 June.